Large-scale behavioural change at Sun Life

As ORCHANGO engagement is coming to an end, I would like to thank you for your contribution towards developing and implementing a program to reinforce and embed the attitudes and behaviours of our managers and employees.

You did a very good job up-front understanding the overall business requirements, as well as those of the various business areas. We appreciated that the change strategy you developed was non-prescriptive. Instead of advocating for a rigid, one-size-fit-all approach, you devised different options to tackle our challenge. You presented a comparative analysis of these options, as well as the conditions under which each would be best suited. This approach enabled us to tailor the overall strategy to the various areas of the business – for maximum effectiveness and appropriateness.

Your consultant worked well with our different teams, providing the necessary guidance to ensure the customized interventions would fit each environment. I received positive comments from everyone about his style and effectiveness.

Similarly, you took a very pragmatic and flexible approach to developing the training component of the solution. The pilot workshops you ran were critical to ensuring the different issues were identified and properly addressed.

Finally, I was pleased with the way you managed the overall engagement, striking an effective balance between our tight timeline, the program’s cost and its quality.

The roll-out of the program is progressing well towards its objectives. Should you need a reference in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

CAVEAT: due to its confidential nature, we can only provide limited information about this client case.

CHALLENGE

The challenge was to change, reinforce and embed the attitudes and behaviours of employees at all levels through the entire Canadian division of Sun Life Financial. The initiative related to specific aspects of the day-to-day operations.

Given the risks involved, the President regarded as absolutely critical the need to reinforce and sustain the required attitudes and behaviours.

Complication: two different organizational cultures, emerging from the merger between Sun Life Financial and Clarica Life Insurance Company. Sun Life hired ORCHANGOto develop a change strategy and guide its execution.

SOLUTION

Working in collaboration with Sun Life, we crafted a very pragmatic change strategy.

Instead of advocating for a rigid, one-size-fit-all approach, we devised different options to tackle Sun Life’s challenge. We presented a comparative analysis of these options, as well as the conditions under which each would be best suited. Through this approach, we were able to quickly bring all the business units onboard.

We then guided the various areas as they tailored the change strategy to their respective environments.

As part of the solution, we also designed a workshop to speed up and sustain the change. By eliciting strong emotional connections, the workshop allowed the participants to establish personal meaning for the required attitudes and behaviours – thus adopting them willingly and on a permanent basis.

OUTCOME/IMPACT

To the satisfaction of senior management, the program delivered on its objectives. Employees and managers at all levels and throughout Canada adopted the required attitudes and behaviours.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Change strategy

Change planning

Change execution

Cultural change

Workshop design and delivery

Train the trainers

CHANGE TIMELINE

Phase 1 | “Preparing for the change journey”: 1.5 months.

Phase 2 | “Putting to sea, away from the abyss”: 3 months.

Phase 3 | “Navigating the treacherous sea of change” and Phase 4 | “Passing the lighthouse and reaching the safe harbour”: about 12 months for both phases. Note: as Sun Life became more comfortable with the change campaign, our involvement decreased over time. After 6 months, Sun Life was able to complete the journey on its own.

ABOUT SUN LIFE

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers.

Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2009, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $433 billion.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

ORCHANGO [awr-cheyn-goh] is a Canadian-based management consulting and learning agency established in 2002. Our specialty is change management when change is fast-paced, ongoing and disruptive — in other words, today’s change. We build the change capabilities of public and private sector clients while helping them win in an increasingly digital world.